Death toll climbs past 2,200 after worst Nepal earthquake in 80 years

Volunteers help remove
debris of a building that collapsed at Durbar Square, after an
earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 25,
2015.AP Photo/ Niranjan
Shrestha

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Sleeping in the streets and
shell-shocked, Nepalese cremated the dead and dug through rubble
for the missing Sunday, a day after a massive Himalayan
earthquake killed more than 2,200 people. Aftershocks tormented
them, making buildings sway and sending panicked Kathmandu
residents running into the streets.

The cawing of crows mixed with terrified screams as the worst of
the aftershocks — magnitude 6.7 — pummeled the capital city. It
came as planeloads of supplies, doctors and relief workers from
neighboring countries began arriving in this poor Himalayan
nation. No deaths or injuries were reported from the early Sunday
afternoon quake, but it took an emotional toll.

"The aftershocks keep coming ... so people don't know what to
expect," said Sanjay Karki, Nepal country head for global aid
agency Mercy Corps. "All the open spaces in Kathmandu are packed
with people who are camping outdoors. When the aftershocks come
you cannot imagine the fear. You can hear women and children
crying."

In this photo provided by
Guna Raj Luitel, people walk next to ruble after an earthquake in
Kathmandu, Nepal.Guna Raj Luitel via
AP

Saturday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake spread horror from Kathmandu
to small villages and to the slopes of Mount Everest, triggering
an avalanche that buried part of the base camp packed with
foreign climbers preparing to make their summit attempts. At
least 17 people died there and 61 were injured.

The earthquake centered outside Kathmandu, the capital, was the
worst to hit the South Asian nation in over 80 years. It
destroyed swaths of the oldest neighborhoods of Kathmandu, and
was strong enough to be felt all across parts of India,
Bangladesh, China's region of Tibet and Pakistan.

By Sunday afternoon, authorities said at least 2,169 people had
died in Nepal alone, with 61 more deaths in India and a few in
other neighboring countries. At least 721 of them died in
Kathmandu alone, and the number of injured nationwide was upward
of 5,000. With search and rescue efforts far from over, it was
unclear how much the death toll would rise.

But outside of the oldest neighborhoods, many in Kathmandu were
surprised by how few modern structures — the city is largely a
collection of small, poorly constructed brick apartment buildings
— collapsed in the quake. While aid workers cautioned that many
buildings could have sustained serious structural damage, it was
also clear that the death toll would have been far higher had
more buildings caved in.

Volunteers help remove
debris of a building that collapsed at Durbar Square, after a 7.8
earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal.AP
Photo/ Niranjan Shrestha

Aid workers also warned that the situation could be far worse
near the epicenter. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was
centered near Lamjung, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest
of Kathmandu, in the Gorkha district.

Roads to that area were blocked by landslides, hindering rescue
teams, said chief district official Prakash Subedi. Teams were
trekking through mountain trails to reach remote villages, and
helicopters would also be deployed, he said by telephone.

Local aid worker Matt Darvas said in a statement issued by his
group, World Vision, that he heard that many remote mountain
villages near the epicenter may have been completely buried by
rock falls.

The villages "are literally perched on the sides of large
mountain faces and are made from simple stone and rock
construction," Darvas said. "Many of these villages are only
accessible by 4WD and then foot, with some villages hours and
even entire days' walks away from main roads at the best of
times."

This Oct. 21, 2005 file
photo shows Mount Everest from an aerial view taken over Nepal.
Senior mountaineering guide, Ang Tshering, said an avalanche
swept the face of Mt. Everest after the massive earthquake,
Saturday April 25, 2015 while government officials say at least
30 people have been injured on the mountain.AP Photo/Jody Kurash

Nepal's worst recorded earthquake in 1934 measured 8.0 and all
but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.

With people fearing more quakes, tens of thousands of Nepalese
spent Saturday night outside under chilly skies, or in cars and
public buses. They were jolted awake by strong aftershocks early
Sunday.

"There were at least three big quakes at night and early morning.
How can we feel safe? This is never-ending and everyone is scared
and worried," said Kathmandu resident Sundar Sah. "I hardly got
much sleep. I was waking up every few hours and glad that I was
alive."

As day broke, rescuers aided by international teams set out to
dig through rubble of buildings — concrete slabs, bricks, iron
beams, wood — to look for survivors.

Members of Chinese
International Search and Rescue Team and their rescue dogs board
a charted plane to Kathmandu, after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake
hit Nepal, at Beijing Capital International
Airport,REUTERS/Stringer

In the Kalanki neighborhood of Kathmandu, police rescuers finally
extricated a man lying under a dead body, both of them buried
beneath a pile of concrete slabs and iron beams. Before his
rescue, his family members stood nearby, crying and praying.
Police said the man's legs and hips were totally crushed.

Hundreds of people in Kalanki gathered around the collapsed
Lumbini Guest House, once a three-story budget hotel and
restaurant frequented by Nepalese. They watched with fear and
anticipation as a single backhoe dug into the rubble.

Rescue workers carry the
body of a victim on a stretcher, after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake
hit, in Kathmandu, Nepal April 25, 2015.REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Police officer RP Dhamala, who was coordinating the rescue
efforts, said they had already pulled out 12 people alive and six
dead. He said rescuers were still searching for about 20 people
believed to be trapped, but had heard no cries, taps or noises
for a while.

Most areas were without power and water. The United Nations said
hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley were overcrowded, and running
out of emergency supplies and space to store corpses.

Plumes of smoke, meanwhile, rose above the capital as friends,
relatives and others gathered by the river to quickly cremate
loved ones' remains.

Most shops in Kathmandu were shut; only fruit vendors and
pharmacies seemed to be doing business.

"More people are coming now," fruit seller Shyam Jaiswal said.
"They cannot cook so they need to buy something they can eat
raw."

Jaiswal said stocks were running out, and more shipments were not
expected for at least a week, but added, "We are not raising
prices. That would be illegal, immoral profit."

The quake will likely put a huge strain on the resources of this
impoverished country best known for Everest, the highest mountain
in the world. The economy of Nepal, a nation of 27.8 million
people, relies heavily on tourism, principally trekking and
Himalayan mountain climbing.

With Kathmandu airport reopened, the first aid flights began
delivering aid supplies. The first to respond were Nepal's
neighbors — India, China and Pakistan, all of which have been
jockeying for influence over the landlocked nation. Nepal remains
closest to India, with which it shares deep political, cultural
and religious ties.

A map of where the
magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal Saturday, April 25,
2015 was centered.USGS

India suffered its own losses from the quake, with at least 61
people killed there and dozens injured. Sunday's aftershock was
also widely felt in the country, and local news reports said
metro trains in New Delhi and Kolkata were briefly shut down when
the shaking started.

Other countries sending support Sunday included the United Arab
Emirates, Germany and France.

After the chaos of Saturday — when little organized rescue and
relief was seen — there was more order on Sunday as rescue teams
fanned out across the city.

Workers were sending out tents and relief goods in trucks and
helicopters and setting up shelters, said disaster management
official Rameshwar Dangal. Mukesh Kafle, the head of the Nepal
Electricity Authority, said power was restored to main government
offices, the airport and hospitals.

Among the destroyed buildings in Kathmandu was the nine-story
Dharahara Tower, a Kathmandu landmark built by Nepal's royal
rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized
historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were
reports of people trapped underneath.

Volunteers work to remove
debris at the historic Dharahara tower, a city landmark, after an
earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, April 25, 2015.AP Photo/ Niranjan
Shrestha

The Kathmandu Valley is listed as a World Heritage site. The
Buddhist stupas, public squares and Hindu temples are some of the
most well-known sites in Kathmandu, and now some of the most
deeply mourned.

Nepali journalist and author Shiwani Neupane tweeted: "The
sadness is sinking in. We have lost our temples, our history, the
places we grew up."